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EP REVIEW: Acoustic Sessions – Sky Valley Mistress

To have your debut album recorded at Rancho De La Luna is a real achievement, given the legendary status that the studio has amongst the desert rock faithful. To have Dave Catching, of EAGLES OF DEATH METAL, QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE and MOJAVE LORDS fame invite you personally to do so really is something else, but that is exactly how SKY VALLEY MISTRESS completed their debut full-length release last year. Transcribing music from a full band piece into mere vocals, acoustic guitar, keyboards, and light percussion is also not the easiest of tasks when still trying to create your band’s sound, certainly in the eyes and ears of the public, but that was the task assigned to the talented quartet as the first in the series of special acoustic sessions EPs to celebrate 10 years of their label, New Heavy Sounds.  

Agreeing to take that level of risk has paid off well, in this circumstance, as the ability to focus more heavily on Kayley Davies‘ exquisitely smouldering vocals is something most people could appreciate. That’s not to say that her voice is the only thing of repute on this stripped-back approach – far from it – as the musicianship is still strong from what is a clearly all-around talented act, just that the generally simpler approach musically in this format allows her to still flaunt her ability in ways the instruments cannot really do. ​

Although It Won’t Stop is still fairly close to the original, unsurprising given it was conceived as something of a more laid-back affair, there is a real difference when contrasting the other three tracks against their counterparts on Faithless Rituals. While an acoustic approach will generally add a certain air to it, Skull & Pistons now finds itself transformed from an up-tempo dark rock song into something more brooding as Davies‘ almost Stevie Nicks like wailing and shrieking seems to be at odds with the much gentler music style here.

The sinister soundscapes that seemingly pervade this actually work far better in practice than may have been considered beforehand, further remarking on the ability of the band not just as songwriters but in their musicianship also to have so convincingly reconstructed these tracks from their original conception into these stunning versions. Not only does the quality of each of these four songs bode well for their collective ability to create something of real consequence in the future, but it also shows just how much of an understanding and a trust they have between themselves.​

While they may have been together as an act for a few years prior to their full debut, SKY VALLEY MISTRESS still demonstrate a familiarity that goes beyond where you would expect them to be, given their relative output so far. It may not be the new release that fans of their previous work will undoubtedly crave, but Acoustic Sessions serves to remind everyone just how relevant SKY VALLEY MISTRESS should be when considering bands that are deserving of a higher platform than they currently occupy. 

Rating: 8/10 

Sky Valley Mistress - Acoustic Sessions

Acoustic Sessions is set for release March 26th via New Heavy Sounds. 

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